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Thousand Trails/Encore
Address: 10167 N. Encore Dr. Casa Grande, AZ 85122 Phone: (520) 836-2531 Website: rvonthego.com/arizona/foothills-west-rv-resort/ # of sites: 182 Full hookup price: From $54/day Open: Year-round Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Warnings: Poor phone services, HOT summers
If you want to avoid the Phoenix Metropolitan area but still want to stay in Central Arizona, Casa Grande has more than a few options. A little less than an hour's drive from Phoenix, yet situated at the split of I-8 from I-10, access to the rest of the state is easily available.
Pros: Casa Grande has grown up from the small town it once was, with plenty of shopping and dining options. Being outside of the Phoenix area keeps traffic light and lines relatively short, but within a couple hours are the Organ Pipe National Monument, Picacho Peak State Park, Kitt Peak, Saguaro National Park, Tucson, Mount Lemmon and all of the Phoenix metro region. Foothills West is a clean, comfortable, age-qualified (55+) park with adequate space between parked rigs. Though it mostly consists of gravel, sites have cement porch pads and there are live fruit trees throughout. The amenities are the usual, with a clubhouse, pool and spa, restroom and showers, laundry, billiards, shuffleboard, putting green, bocce ball and horseshoes. We could not use them due to the pandemic. Also, they would usually have a variety of activities happening every day. Arizona is a sunset paradise and Casa Grande is no different. Also, being miles away from a large metropolitan area and having few mountains to block views, stargazing is also exceptional.
Cons:
While Foothills West is relatively pet friendly, there is no off-leash dog park, nor waste bags, and mostly there is just gravel to walk them on. You also have to keep dogs away from cacti planted by residents all over the park. The garbage bins are located together and quite a walk from most of the resort, another of my pet peeves. Casa Grande has a very short cool season, with temps soaring in March and continuing into November. It is also very windy, so much so that we couldn't have our awning out very often and for very long. It is easy to get tired of the desert scenery. It's the only scenery for hundreds of miles. Another drawback to the area was the lack of adequate cell signal. We have Verizon phones and hotspot and an AT&T data hub, and neither service was very good at all. Casa Grande is relatively close by a state prison (in Florence). While we were staying in Foothills West, two convicts escaped and were captured less than five miles from the park, most likely on their way to Mexico. Like many communities in proximity of the Mexican border, you must be aware of potential violence and other crime. This park does not have a gate, so the public can drive in.
We would recommend Foothills west to anyone passing through or wanting to spend a few days in the winter exploring the desert. With nothing significant in its favor or to its detriment, my 3-out-of-5 star rating seems appropriate.
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AuthorJack Huber is a novelist with 7 mysteries published, along with several books of poetry and photography. Now retired, he and his wife, Nadyne, are free to travel the country in their 32' 5th wheel and 1-ton Ford pickup. Archives
February 2021
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